Ceiling or wall construction for fireproof buildings.



No. 728,919. 'PATENTED MAY 26. 1903.

W; HORN.

APPLICATION TILED OO'IA, 1902. H0 MODEL.

UNrrnn STATES fatented. May 26, 1903.

ATENT OFFICE.

CEILING 0R WALL CONSTRUCTION FOR FIREPROOFBUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,919, dated May 26,1903. Application filed October 4. 1902. Serial No 125,864. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HORN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ceiling or WVallConstructions for Fireproof Buildings, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates, generally speaking, to an improvement in theconstruction of fireproof buildings wherein the skeleton or supportingelements are formed of iron girders or beams usually employed in'c'ommercial structural forms; and my invention relates moreparticularly to an improved construction of ceilings andpartition-walls, the novel feature of the invention residing in an improved form ofclip for uniting theilltersecting beams andgi'i'ders-constituting the suppfiti'trg'structure for the lathin'g andplaster.

The object of my invention is to provide a clip for this purpose whichshall combine superior simplicity and cost of manufacture with increasedstrength and rigidity, a secondary object of the invention being toprovide a clip which shall be more economical of space required thereforthan other devices for the same purpose with which I am acquainted.

For purposes of convenience I have illustrated my invention in apreferred embodiment thereof in connection with aceiling construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectionthrough one of the main ceiling girders or beams, the underlyingceiling-iron and my improved clip for uniting the same to the girderbeing shown in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the sameparts as they appear in a plane at right angles to the plane of theparts in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of my improved clip, andFig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts shown by and occupying therelative positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates the usual transverse girder orbeam of a ceiling or floor construction, here shown in the form of anI-beam, and 6 designates one of a series oftransversely-extendingceiling-ironsadapted to have attached thereto someform of metal lathing. This iron, as herein shown,

is in the form of a channel-beam having its web disposed in a verticalplane.

In making my improved clip for uniting the elements 5 and 6 I take aplain flat piece 7 of strap iron or steel, preferably of rectangularform, and cut or punch therethrough at separated points apertures 8 of asize and form to slidingly but comparatively snugly fit the cei1ing-iron6 when the latter is passed through said apertures. I then bend up thetwo end portions of the strip along lines coincident with theinnerorbase margins of the apertures 8, thereby forming verticalsupporting members 9, and finally I bend over inwardly to ward eachother the upper ends of the upstanding members 9 to form end flanges 10,adapted to overlie and rest upon the lowermost head of the I-beam 5.

The manner in which the parts are assembled and their relative locationis obvious from the illustration and need not be further described. Iwill therefore briefly mention a few of the advantages which I believemy invention possesses over other known forms of clips. In the firstplace,'it will be observed that the clip afiords a seat or support forthe ceiling-iron of an extent equal to the full width of the head of theceiling-beam. In the second place, the vertical supporting members 9 ofthe clip are rigidly tied together at their lower ends. In the thirdplace, my invention enables the uppersurface of the ceiling-iron to bebrought into direct contact with the under surface of the ceiling beamor girder, thereby affording an economy in the space required for theceiling structure as compared with constructions now known and used,wherein a part or element of the clip lies between the adjacent surfacesof the beams 5 and 6. In the fourth place, my invention, being ofextremely-simple construction and requiring butlittle cutting andbending of the blank from which it is shaped up, is capable of beingproduced at areduced cost as compared with other clips for the samepurpose with which I am acquainted. Finally, the clip presents noobstruction to the plaster.

It will be obvious that my improved clip is capable of use with otherforms of intersecting beams and irons, such forms necessitating onlyobvious modifications of the apertures 8 and of the flanges 10 to makethem conform to the particular shapes of the beams and irons used. Theparticular forms herein shown are therefore illustrative merely. It isalso obvious that my invention may be employed with equal advantage inthe construction of fireproof partition-walls other than floors andceilings.

1. The combination with the main girder and a transverse beamintersecting the plane of said girder, of a clip for uniting saidelements in surface contact, said clip comprising a -strip of strapmetal having a base equal in length to the width of the adjacent head orflange of the girder and having its end portions bent at right angles tothe base and apertured to receive the transverse beam, and furtherhaving the free extremities of said end portions bent inwardly toembrace the margin of the head of the girder, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with the main girder and atransverse beamintersecting the plane of said girder, of a clip for uniting saidelements in surface contact, said clip comprising a strip of strap metalhaving a flat base forming a seat for the beam and having its endportions bent at right angles to the base and apertured to receive thebeam, the lower margins of said apertures being substantially coincidentwith the plane of the base, and

WILLIAM HORN.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, L. F. MCCREA.

